DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2017.v05i10.010

Pages: 753-758

Upsurge in the labour industry has increased the working population among men and women and this paradigm shift of globalization has posed a challenge for employed parents especially women in almost all modern societies in balancing their lifestyle. Thus research is necessitated in different cultural contexts for enhancing the productivity of women by improving their physical, emotional and social wellbeing. Women at their reproductive age are more prone to hormonal disorders and the most common endocrine disorder among women in their reproductive age is polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) characterized by obesity, hyperinsulinemia, hirsutism and increased levels of androgen. The aforementioned factors can be attributed to lifestyle ailments such as obesity, depression, diabetes and hypertension especially for women in the age group of 21- 52 years. In women of Indian subcontinent, prevalence rates of PCOS are as high as 50% and are responsible for 18% of infertility and metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in 46% of women with PCOS. Healthy lifestyle must be adopted to combat these diseases with a proper balanced diet, physical activity and by giving due respect to the biological clock. Flaxseed containing health-promoting phytochemicals, fibre components such as lignan and omega-3 fatty acids is one of the new super foods recently discovered as an ideal botanical agent to manage PCOS symptoms along with reducing cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetics and high blood pressure. In this project, the investigator analyses the efficacy of delivering the goodness of flaxseed rich in lignan and essential fatty acid Alpha Linolenic Acid (ALA) in a suitable food matrix desirable for efficient absorption in the blood stream in order to elevate the serum levels of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) which in turn facilitates to lower the free circulating testosterone levels and thus normalising the clinical symptoms associated with PCOS conditions.